Teaching materials are developed at the behest of corporate entities, like the recent fourth grade energy curriculum paid for by the American Coal Foundation. Meanwhile, more and more time is allocated to "teach to the test," while art, music and PE are quickly becoming a distant memory.
It's time to say no more! We do not want our teachers to be mindless automatons. We do not want our children treated as commodities to be rolled out on the factory floor.
The points of unity for the Save Our Schools campaign are: equitable funding for all public school communities; an end to high-stakes testing used for the purpose of student, teacher and school evaluation; curriculum developed for and by local school communities; and teacher, family and community leadership in forming public education policies.
Activities in Washington D.C. include:
- July 28-29, Conference to "learn, connect and get active.” Two days of activism workshops and keynotes at American University in D.C. Radical Women will be offering a workshop entitled, “It’s a class thing: the galvanizing impact of multi-issue organizing for public education.” Register for the conference online at www.SaveOurSchoolsMarch.org.
- July 30, Rally and March. The rally begins noon at the Ellipse, followed by a 1:30 p.m. march to the White House. SOS's website says "The Save Our Schools March is being held in response to recent destructive 'reform' efforts which have undermined our public educational system, demoralized teachers, and reduced the education of too many of our children to nothing more than test preparation."
- July 31, Organizational Congress at American University in DC. This four-hour congress will focus on organizing efforts following the march